NDLEA seizes N6.2bn in drugs at Lagos airport

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled a major international drug trafficking operation, seizing illicit substances valued at over N6.2 billion at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.

Operatives intercepted 47,200 tablets of captagon, often referred to as ‘Jihadi drug’, which were concealed inside blocks of bathing soap imported from Ghana. This seizure, valued at more than N1.5 billion, led to the arrest of 49-year-old Akinbile Kazeem Aikins upon his arrival from Accra.

Additionally, the agency recovered approximately 3.9 million tablets of Tramaking and Tapentadol from four abandoned consignments. These pharmaceutical opioids, weighing a combined 2,787.40 kilograms and valued at over N4.6 billion, arrived via international routes from Bangladesh and Amsterdam. The NDLEA noted that the scale of these seizures highlights the sophisticated methods used by transnational syndicates to exploit aviation and cargo channels to move narcotics into Nigeria.